, 1887-10-02
LETTERS FROM THE PEOPLE.
Supporting Home Industries.


To the E iitor of The LEADER.
CHEYENNE, WYo. Oct. Under date
OF Sept. 81 an editorial in a city paper
reads as follows: 1T is perhaps proper
to state right here, and we do it in all
klndnes to our old business men and old
time residents, that an extreme lack of
enterprise and push has kept this city
from taking its rank among the foremost
cities of the West" etc. Now, instead
OF the lack of enterprise and push on the
part of the business men of our city,
which places it in a lower rank than it
should occupy, is it not a fact, we ask,
that the push is in the wrong direction.
We believe that the people of Cheyenne
will find upon investigation that the day
has passed when eastern capitalists could
be induced to put up their money for a
mirage or something equally as delusive.
While this class of men know that the
resources of this territory are almost un
limited, they no longer propose to buy
stock by the book, as heretofore, but are
undoubtedly willing to invest in anything
that will return them a fair profit on their
investments. We believe if the people of
this city would make an effort to build up
manufactures here such as are needed,
that both eastern and home capital would
seek investment. The business men of
this city are paying to Denver, Omaha,
Chicago and other cities thousands of
dollars every month for goods which could
be manufactured here at a profit, among
which are soaps, crackers, leather, cheese
and various other goods, thus giving en-
ployment to labor and also keeping our
money at home.
An illustration of our prodIgality or
carelessness in regard to sending our
money away from home can be found in
the fact that during at least six months
out of the year ranchmen and gardeners
from Colorado are allo we'd to retail their
produce upon our streets from door to
door at prices with which u dealers can
not compete for obvious reasons. These
peddlers pay little or nothing for the
privilege and take ninety-nine cents out of
every dollar received for their produce out
of the city, the same going into the chan
mel of trade in Fort Collins, La Porte and
other towns in Colorado. This money is
virtually lost to the trade of Cheyenne.
1t would seem that this leak could and
should be stopped. thus saving to this city
from 5000 to $500 per day for one-half of
the year.
Perhaps your readers may think this is
exaggerated. But not so. The writer
has taken some pains to learn the facts in
the case. In illustration of this fact we
will state that there were in one day last
month twenty-five wagons on our streets
selling from door to door. and every one
of them from Colorado. Now, those
men claim, or admit that their loads aver
age them $50 net cash. But we will be
liberal and say $25 each as an average,
which we think is a low estimate. There
are 1925 taken in one day out of the
channels of trade of our city.
In consideration Of all this, would it
not DO well for our people to stop and
think a moment2 If they will do so we
believe that they would arrive at the con-
clusion that 1t would be to their interests
to buy their goods OF the business men of
this city, whose interests are identical
with their own, ever though they pay Il
little higher prices for the same articles,
thereby keeping their money at home as
far as possible. JUDGE.